TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE and IDEAS

debit cards

Card Programs: How to Drive Growth in 2026 by Keeping Them Relevant

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By Tina Zulich | CSI Debit and credit card programs have been around for decades, and many financial institutions are focused on newer priorities: AI, instant payments, embedded finance, open banking and digital experiences. But cards are still central to everyday banking, powering purchases, generating useful data and helping community banks build stronger account holder … Read more

First Community Bank in Corpus Christi to Acquire First National Bank in Port Lavaca  

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Coastal Bend Bancshares, the holding company for Corpus Christi-based First Community Bank, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Port Lavaca-based First National Bank. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026. “Our roots along the Texas Gulf Coast run deep at First Community Bank,” notes Wes Hoskins, First Community … Read more

While You Were Taking Care of Your Customers

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For more than a year, community bankers have been hard at work saving the nation’s small businesses via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The effort has been nothing short of heroic—and, from what I am hearing, PPP didn’t just provide short-term income for community banks in 2020; the relationships earned with new customers in the … Read more